Azerbaijan, Baku, 19 January / Тrend corr E. Huseynov / Completion of construction of the airport in the Turkish Igdir province which is bordering on Azerbaijan lacks for $25mln. Construction work was suspended 13 years ago. "Financing of the airport's construction is not envisaged in the budget of the Turkish Government for 2008," the head of the Igdir province Nureddin Aras said to Trend on 18 January.
Construction of the airport in the Turkish Igdir province, which is mainly populated with Azerbaijanis, began in 1993. When 40% of the work was completed, the construction was suspended due to a lack for funds. In 2006, the Turkish Government decided to allocate funds in the financial budget of 2008 and to restore the construction work in May.
The funds for construction of the airport are not envisaged in the budget of this year, and the cause of that is unknown, Aras said. He admits that financing may be implemented from different special governmental programs. "Otherwise, we have to hope that the funds for the Igdir airport will be envisaged in the budget for 2009- 2010," he said.
Now, the residents of the Igdir province have to use the airports of the neighbouring Turkish provinces - Kars, Erzurum, or Agra. In order to visit Baku they have to go to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) of Azerbaijan through road transport, and onwards to fly to Baku. "The Igdir airport will profoundly decrease the time used for the trip, and that is very important for entrepreneurs and will lead to economic development," Aras said. Opening of the airport will enable direct flights to Baku and Ganja, he said.